There Is No Death
by Chickenman90
Summary: A Jedi padawan must confront his deepest fear to stop a terrible weapon. Plese read and review!
1. Prologue

Trall Maryn, CEO of Isidric Ore, Inc. watched over his operations with satisfaction. His rough hands rested on the railing of the walkway he stood upon as he gazed down below. Below his vantage point, drillers and harvesters went about their business, digging up the valuable ore secreted in the planet's crust. Despite the fact that the galaxy was embroiled in a bitter civil war, business was still good. Rather, the market had grown, as the need for ore had not been greater for decades. Droids, vehicles, starships, all were made from ore, and none was better than that of Isidric. _Of course,_ thought Trall, _the rest of the galaxy has yet to figure that out. _Though Isidric Ore had grown quite prosperous under the reign of Maryn, it still wasn't exactly the leading ore processing company in the galaxy.

Which made what was about to happen all the more curious.

His comlink beeped, and he retrieved it from his pocket. Putting it to his mouth, his slow drawl of a voice asked "what is it?"

"Sir, a ship has entered our space." The reply came from a much younger voice.

"Oh? And it's not scheduled to arrive?" Trall asked, suddenly curious.

"No sir. We're hailing it now."

"Very good. If anything comes up, let me know." Trall ordered. He was about to thumb off the comlink when the young communications officer replied, in a chilled tone, "sir…it's…it's a warship!" The words caught Trall off-guard, and the comlink suddenly felt heavy in his palm. Whether it was the added weight of the message he had just received or if it was the gravity of the situation that contributed to the sudden heaviness, he did not know. A warship? Here? What could they possibly want? What could he have done that would bring a warship to his front door?

"Sir?" asked the other voice.

"I'll…I'll be right there." Trall promised, and he rushed off towards his control room.

-----

The _Hellraiser_ hung in space, watching over the small planet, poised to strike. From his position at the viewport of the bridge, Commander Kaden Tosk regarded Ploov III with interest. Too large to be an asteroid, yet barely big enough to be a planet, it was the home of a small mining company. Why this target had been chosen for the test remained to be seen.

"Sir." A stocky young Bothan called out across the bridge. Tosk spun around in a military fashion, fixing his gaze on the junior officer who had shouted for his attention.

"Yes, Lieutenant Trisk'ill?" Tosk asked. The lieutenant's fur rippled in embarrassment, as his Commanding Officer stared down at him.

"Umm…the deployers report that they're in position…sir." He reported, hurriedly adding the word "sir" after realizing he had forgotten it.

"Very well, Lieutenant. Thank you." He watched his young subordinate resume his seat at the communications station. He had only been a member of the crew for a standard week, which accounted for his lack of experience in dealing with the captain.

Nodding, Tosk spun around again, and continued staring at the planet. Now crowded before him was a group of Missile Deployers, itching to unload their munitions upon the unsuspecting planet. Tosk reached into his left breast pocket, the one where his CIS badge was displayed prominently. The CIS, the Confederacy of Independent Starsystems, was the government he had sworn to fight for, in order to topple the oppressive regime that was the Galactic Republic.

He produced a comlink from his pocket. Thumbing it on, in a crisp voice he ordered the officer on the other line, "Lieutenant Kaara, begin the bombardment."

"I hope you enjoy the show, sir." The feminine voice wafted from the other side of the comm channel. Normally, he would discipline such unorthodox talk as response to an order. However, this time, he felt she was right. He probably _would_ enjoy the show.

-----

The Deployers wasted no time in releasing their payload. Missiles streaked towards the planet, aimed at miner's dormitories, processing plants, the mines, anything. Each was packed with a deadly chemical agent. They battered the surface, and with each impact, the chemicals were released. With each impact, more and more died.

-----

"We've lost contact with Zeta Sector!"

"Gamma Sector isn't responding!"

"I've lost Delta Sector! It's…it's gone!"

Trall Maryn only nodded sadly as each report flew across the room, being shouted this way and that. Everyone in the room was in a panic, knowing that the end was near. Soon it would all be over. A pity, that it had to end like this. The good men and women who worked for him, the whole company, were dying, one by one. And he'd be with them, soon. It was only a matter of time. A quick glance out the viewport of his control room, and he saw that his time was up. A missile roared towards his base of operations. Again, he sadly nodded, fighting back tears. At least it would be quick.

-----

"Satisfied, sir?" asked Lieutenant Kaara. Tosk smiled mirthlessly.

"Not quite." He replied. "We still have some surplus missiles left. Why not see what our little 'secret weapon' can really do?"

"I was hoping you'd say that, sir." Kaara replied. Smiling contentedly, he eagerly awaited the next bombardment.


	2. Chapter 1

_There is no emotion; there is peace  
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge  
There is no passion; there is serenity  
There is no death; there is the Force_

Jedi Knight Nage Sy'lar solemnly made his way through the hallways of the Jedi Temple. Once a bustling building, it was now a very quiet one. Nage knew what caused this change all too well. Jedi were either away, defending the Republic on battlefields ranging from one side of the galaxy to the other, or they were resting at the Temple, trying to find some peace in the chaotic galaxy before being sent out once more to combat the Separatist forces. Or, worst of all, many Jedi did not reside in the Temple simply because they were dead. Killed in combat, heroically sacrificing themselves so that the Republic might just defeat the Separatists. The Separatists, or Confederacy of Independent Starsystems, as they called themselves, had plunged the galaxy into the depths of a costly and deadly war. Nage began to wonder if the Republic would ever arise from those very depths. For almost a year the two governments had warred, and there was no sign of an end to the hostilities.

The Bothan winced as a dull pain shot up his right leg. His injuries had still not fully recovered since his last mission, and here he was, about to embark on another one. With a limp that was only slightly noticeable, he reached the Temple's war room. Untouched for eons after the last Sith War, it had recently been used quite extensively. After a quick retinal scan, the door opened with a hiss, and he stepped in. Techs, aides, and various military personnel looked up as he entered, and then returned back to their work. Nage sighed. He remembered a time when very few non-Jedi were permitted into the Temple. Now, it was crawling with them. Like an infestation, their numbers grew with each day, and Nage momentarily wondered if they were breeding here.

_Nothing's sacred anymore, _he thought with a hint of sadness as he made his way through the large room. A quick scan of the room revealed the location of his commanding officer. Master Karyn Shist looked up from a table, noticing his entry. _Not Master, _he reminded himself for the billionth time, _General._ He figured he'd never get used to calling another Jedi by that title. But that was okay. He didn't want to. The beautiful human female smiled at him as he approached her, but the somberness in her eyes betrayed the fact that the news she was about to give him was not good. The two bowed to each other, and Karyn tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she inserted a datacard into a holoprojector. In seconds, the shimmering image of a brown, rocky planet appeared in midair above the projector. Nage regarded it thoughtfully.

"Greetings Colonel. I trust you've fully recovered from your last excursion?"

"Yes, thank you." Nage lied, even as another flash of pain erupted in his leg. She nodded carefully, and he wondered if she had sensed his momentary discomfort.

"Good to hear. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you and Lieutenant Daana out again." Nage frowned at the mention of his padawan's name. Jyg Daana had been thrust head first into this war at such a young age. Granted, the pair had gone on many dangerous missions together before the war, but war was something so entirely different from anything else imaginable. Jyg was just barely old enough to join the war effort, and didn't seem to be adjusting to this newfound responsibility. Nage constantly worried about him.

"I see." Nage replied, suppressing a shiver. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't determine what.

Karyn pointed to the hologram. "This is Ploov III, third planet of the Ploov system, located in the Expansion Region. It was the home of a small mining company until only recently. Two standard weeks ago, the Ploov system was visited by this cruiser." The image changed, now showing a heavy cruiser of Separatist design. "It's been identified as _the Hellraiser,_ captained by Commander Kaden Tosk. Within minutes, it launched a devastating chemical attack on the mining facility. There were no survivors." Karyn paused, awaiting Nage's reply. Nage, as usual, saved his questions for after the briefing, and beckoned for Karyn to continue. She shrugged, and returned to the briefing.

"We sent some people there to investigate. It appears to be a new chemical compound, probably created in a separatist lab. We tested this stuff on animals, to see it's effects. It's not pretty. If the stuff enters your body, it goes around eradicating your body systems. You're dead in _seconds_"

Nage frowned. "A couple hundred of those missiles could kill every being on Coruscant." Karyn nodded, also frowning.

"Exactly. Which is why Republic Intelligence has been looking for the storage site for these things. Two standard days ago, they found it." The holo changed again, this time showing a small snowy white planet.

_Great, _thought Nage, _another ice-ball. _He shivered, remembering a previous mission.

"This is Drouwcl, an uninhabited planet in a remote system in the Mid Rim." The hologram changed once again, showing a facility of some sort. Intel has determined that this is the silo where the chemical missiles are being held. The compound is defended by a light ground force, which is fortunate, seeing as I can only spare one regiment at this time. Yours. Your mission is to capture that facility. Any questions, Colonel Sy'lar?" Nage nodded.

"Yes ma'am. You say it's 'lightly defended.' Why such weak defense?"

"Probably because they want to keep the storage facility secret. The more of a force they have there, the more attention they're going to get. Intel almost missed this base entirely."

"Okay. What does 'lightly defended' mean in this case?"

"Intel says a two or three battalions of battle droids and super battle droids. Support includes tanks, spider droids and the like. They have a small force of starships, including a droid control ship and a couple squadrons of droid starfighters. Like Intel says, lightly defended." Nage nodded. "So," Karyn asked, "do you feel up to it?"

Nage grinned. "Do I have a choice?"

-----

After two hours of going over the finer details of the mission, Nage emerged from the war room, sweaty and tired. He yawned, outstretching his arms as far as they would go. He caught of whiff of them and groaned. He hurried off to the refresher to clean up. After a quick shower, he wondered what to do next. He had thirty-six standard hours before the mission; he'd better make the best use of them that he could. What he needed to do now was relax. And he knew just the place to do that. Grinning, he headed to the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

-----

_Jyg Daana let the universe coalesce around him. With each inhale, he breathed in the great expanse of life the galaxy had to offer; with each inhale, it abandoned him, only to return seconds later with another inhale. Jyg's mind stretched outward touching every being's life essence, but at the same time touching no one. Jyg frowned. Something was very wrong. Usually a Jedi could meditate on the galaxy and feel at peace. But this past year, all sorts of negative feelings bubbled to the surface. Fear, pain, rage, sorrow; the whole galaxy radiated these emotions. The war was taking its toll. And then a more powerful emotion arose above the rest. It was a feeling that came with a foul stench, and tainted the galaxy. Death. Death was everywhere in the galaxy, spreading across it like a wildfire. The feeling of death began to assault Jyg, overpowering him. He became lost in his own meditation._

"Jyg?" the call of his name brought him back to reality. He blinked, turning his head. Behind him stood his master, Nage Sy'lar. He was tall, with majestic golden fur, with brown stripes leading from his back all the way up over his head to his forehead. His purple eyes expressed concern. "Is something wrong?" Nage asked.

"No master, I was just…meditating." Jyg replied. Nage nodded, sitting down cross-legged next to Jyg.

"It looked like you were having a nightmare." Nage observed.

"It…kind of was." Jyg answered. "The galaxy just feels so hostile at the moment."

"Yes." Nage agreed. "I've felt it too. All the Jedi have felt it. We don't like it. Some things about this war, they just…don't add up."

"Yes, Master" Jyg replied, still spooked from his meditation.

Nage studied his padawan. A human of average height, whose green eyes left nothing unobserved; Jyg's normally handsome face now wore a troubled expression. Jyg took a deep breath, and began meditating again. Nage joined him. After a few minutes, Nage spoke.

"We've got a new mission." He announced. Jyg was brought back from his meditation with this statement.

"Oh?" he said, opening one eye to watch his master.

"Yes, but we can't talk about it now. I'll fill you in later." Nage replied. He sighed. What had happened to the galaxy, that it was unsafe to talk openly about such things in the _Jedi Temple, _of all places? Of course, if someone could screw around with the Jedi Archives, they could just as easily monitor conversations within the temple. Jyg nodded, taking shallow breaths. He nodded again, closing both eyes and meditating.

_No!_ He thought to himself, _not again! I can't go back. I can't go back to the war!_

And then an image appeared in his mind's eye.

_A horrible, dreadful image. He saw himself, lying on a cold, stone floor, in a pool of his own blood. A giant hole had replaced his stomach and blood poured forth from it. He was shivering. Slowly, shakily, his arm rose. He was reaching out for something. Then, his arm crashed to the ground, and his eyes closed. And then the world was spinning, in an unstoppable torrent._

Jyg opened his eyes, panting. Nage was now standing at his side.

"What's wrong, Jyg?" Nage demanded. Jyg paused, attempting to compose himself. His attempts failed.

"It's…it's nothing master." He assured. "Nothing."

-----

Republic Plaza usually was used to house conventions festivals, things of that joyous nature. Nowadays, the gargantuan, ground level ferrocrete circle was used for something entirely different. From a vantage point high above the plaza, Nage watched his regiment prepare for battle. Techs performed pre-flight checks on ships, while soldiers lounged around, trying to enjoy what little time they had left before embarking. Amongst them, Nage spotted Jyg, tinkering with his personal starfighter. Nage smiled. He had been worried about Jyg. Yesterday, Jyg had been shaken up, but he appeared to be doing fine now. Nage was glad, had Jyg continued acting as he had yesterday, Nage might have had to leave him behind on this mission. His comlink beeped. He activated it, acknowledging the voice on the other end.

"Sy'lar here." He announced.

"Colonel sir, you are needed on the bridge of _the Indomitable._" Nage took one last look at Jyg. He nodded to himself, and began walking towards the turbolift.

"I'll be right there."

-----

_I'm not the Jedi I should be._ Jyg thought. _Jedi are defenders, not cowards. Jedi are not afraid of something like death! If they die, they have died for a cause! But not you, Jyg. No, you fear death. You will never be a great Jedi, because you're too afraid. Too afraid to lose what you value most. Too afraid to lose life. You're a coward, clinging so desperately to something so fragile as life. And one day, despite everything you've done to prevent death, it'll claim you. And it'll be all over, Jyg. It'll be all over._

-----

_The Indomitable _hurtled through hyperspace, rushing to a deadly destination. On the bridge, Jyg fidgeted slightly in his seat, as his master calmly looked outside the viewport. Stars raced bye, a beautiful warp of the cosmos visible only through lightspeed. Sighing, Nage abruptly turned around and walked over to Jyg. Jyg immediately stopped his fidgeting.

"Jyg? Can I speak to you in private?" he asked.

"Yeah…sure" Jyg answered, standing up. They made for Nage's quarters without a word. They entered, and Nage locked the door.

"What's wrong Jyg?" Nage demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Something isn't right, and you can't even tell me. Please tell me. I want to help."

Jyg took a deep breath. "Okay…ever since the beginning of the war…ever since all those Jedi died at Genosis, I guess…I guess I just realized how fragile life is. One day you're there, the next, it's all gone. Life is gone. You've slipped into nothingness. I'm terrified of death, master. It shakes me to the core."

"You must remember the Jedi Code, padawan._ There is no death; there is the Force._"

Jyg leapt to his feet in anger. "Oh yeah? Why don't you tell those 180 Jedi who died at Geonosis…or the hundreds, maybe thousands of others who have died since then. What are they? If not dead? And you know what? We could be next! We could die on this very mission."

"Yes, it's a definite possibility."

"Well, you may be prepared to give up your life. But not me." Jyg stormed out, leaving Nage alone, accompanied only by his thoughts.

"I didn't realize..." Nage said to no one in particular. "My God."

His comlink beeped. He clicked it on.

"Yes?"

"Sir, we're here."

-----

Nage rushed into the bridge. Ahead, orbiting the white ball that was Drouwcl was a droid control ship.

"All right men," he ordered "that's our target. We can't land until their space superiority is gone, and that's what's controlling most of it."

As he said this, droid starfighters sped over to the task force, swarming the Republic ships. A single glance told him that there were many more than a couple squadron's worth of starfighters. _Military intelligence strikes again, _he thought. In seconds, the battle was in full swing.


End file.
